


One Floor Up

by feel_likeflying



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, College, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:54:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24444676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feel_likeflying/pseuds/feel_likeflying
Summary: Josh and Sam have their own apartment near the University. They've been having some trouble with the noise from the upstair neighbors. Well, Josh has. He is working up the courage to do something about it. The whole gang in a college setting. AU. Donna x Josh.
Relationships: Josh Lyman & Donna Moss, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss
Comments: 15
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hi! Welcome to this story. Before we start you should probably know that there are going to be some inconsistenties. I needed to make some adjustments in order for most characters to be included. That's why we have AU's, right? I'm currently still watching TWW for the first time. Yes, I know. I'm currently on season five, but I needed to do something with my love for Josh and Donna. That and I'm a sucker for college settings... so that's that. There are going to be approximately ten chapters and I'm still working on them, so please be patient. Please read and review. I'm no Aaron Sorkin, but I hope that you'll enjoy my little story. Stay safe x

''Let me get this straight.'' Josh said, holding up his hands. ''Basically, what you're telling me is that I need to move and go to the party with you?''

''Yes.''

''Sam.''

''Josh.''

''I just have a lot more work to do today.''

''No, you don't. You've finished most of the assignment already and we've only just had our midterms. I think you're good.''

''What if I wanted to prepare for the next midterms?'' He tried jokingly; his voice uneven.

''Josh.'' Sam said unamused as Josh instantly quipped. ''Sam.''

''You're going to regret this one-day, buddy.'' Sam straightened his tie and checked the mirror to fix his hair. Josh had already made his way over to the corner of the room, where he had built himself a little fort with some cushions on the ground and a laptop plugged into the socket next to him.

''Today is not that day.''

Sam waited for a moment and took in the image that was before him. ''Buy yourself a new laptop already, will ya?''

''I might.''

''Don't stay up.''

''Love you too.''

''Have fun.'' He said softly, more to himself than Sam, who apparently had already left their apartment. Josh checked his watch and realized that it had probably been a while since he'd exchanged words with Sam. It was close to three am. Josh cursed. He'd done it again.

Honestly, he couldn't remember the last time he'd had a proper sleeping schedule, and this wasn't helping either. Even though the midterms were already done, he had trouble clearing his mind.

The assignment, or more like THE assignment as Sam had called it, was bothering him. He knew he could nail it if he put his mind to it, it was just that his mind had been playing tricks on him for the past few weeks. Unable to focus on his work anymore, he frustratingly put his hands through his hair.

It was then that he realized the sound of UB40 coming from above. Had that been going on all night? He stood up from his spot and stretched, tempted to put his leg on the chair again and go for a good stretch, but it wasn't early morning yet and he wasn't about to go to the emergency room once again because of an unstable chair. He shook the horrific memory from his head and walked over to the kitchen.

Josh groaned. Sam had taken the last cup of coffee again and had yet again, failed to make a new batch. Josh absentmindedly threw the filter with mush in it in the bin. He quickly checked the kitchen cabinets and realized he was out of coffee. Only slightly embarrassed by his following move, he picked up the old filter out of the trash and put it back into the machine again. No one would ever have to know.

The music above him changed and it definitely had a heavier bass than before. Josh stood there, annoyed at the sound that was apparently coming from his ceiling. They'd never had issues with their upstairs neighbor before. Neighbor? Neighbors? He was clueless. As usual.

The building they'd lived in wasn't in the safest neighborhood, but it was close enough near campus for them not to care too much about it. Sam and Josh had met each other in their freshman year. Both unable to function in the crowded dorms, they'd decided to go steady and rent an apartment a few miles from the campus. That had been three years ago. It'd helped that both of the guys were from an upper-class family, so money wasn't really an issue. Though they'd probably try to deny that until the day they died.

There was no way he was going to be be able to sleep with that kind of noise going on. All of the sudden the music died down. He heard some people yelling at each other and then it suddenly went silent. Josh was more worried about the thickness of his walls at this moment. It was now close to six am already and he decided to just stay up instead of trying to sleep for just one hour. He once again went to sit back in his spot, trying to find some distraction on the internet.

A Sam shaped figure entered the living room. Shit, how much time has passed? The blinds were still shut and most of the lights were still on. Sam sighed and hung up his coat, throwing his already loose tie on the ground somewhere in the process.

Josh chuckled. ''Look who is here to do the walk of shame.'' Sam just ignored him and walked directly to the coffee pot. He grabbed a mug from the cupboard and quickly took a sip.

''Josh, why does this coffee tastes like it was made yesterday?'' Sam looked at Josh suspiciously but took another sip anyway. ''I swear that I took the last cup before I left.''

''Yes, thank you for that by the way. Remind me to pick up some new filters and coffee, will you?''

Sam slowly turned around to take a look at Josh, who was now unwilling to make eye contact. ''You didn't even go to bed, did you? Don't you have a class in like two hours?''

Josh rubbed his eyes, only now feeling his tiredness seeping through the cracks. ''No and yes.''

''You've got to stop doing this. It's unhealthy.''

''Says the person who just had meaningless sex with a girl just because he could.'' Sam opened his mouth to protest, but the lack of caffeine in his system made him close his mouth again. ''Honestly, for the first time in ages. Yes, I'm man enough to admit that – it wasn't because I didn't stop working.''

''Why's that?''

''Our upstairs neighbors were playing music at 3 am. It was UB40, but still.''

''Then why didn't you go knock on their door?'' Josh stared at him blankly. ''All right, good point. Great talk.'' Sam proceeded to pour the coffee down the drain and quickly washed his mug. ''I'm going to shower, want to grab some breakfast after?''

''You know it.'' Josh immediately sniffed his shirt to figure out if he should shower as well. Ew. Yeah, he should. ''After I shower as well… We should go to that new place on sixth. I heard some good things about it.''

''You had a social interaction with people? When did this happen?''

''Sarcasm doesn't work for you Sam.''

''No, but one day you might work for me.'' He'd been hit square in the head with a pillow before he'd even finished his sentence.

xxx

''That's not even food.'' Sam said as he looked at Josh's plate. Scrambled eggs, bacon, two sausages, some beans and white toast with butter were only the beginning of what could be called 'Josh's breakfast'.

Josh sighed and stuffed his face with some of the scrambled eggs. ''Is it going to be one of those days?'' he said, mouth still full.

''I just don't get how you can eat all of that without gaining any weight. I work out four times a week and I'm still not able to put my leg on a chair like you did last time.'' Sam said, unable to keep himself from laughing.

Josh held up his fork in defense. ''You promised we weren't ever going to talk about that one.''

''Well, you promised to start eating healthier. So, guess who the real liar is here.''

They continued their banter as another waitress walked up to them. ''Can I get you boys some more coffee?''

''Yes, please.'' Sam said instantly as he held out his empty cup. Both looked at Josh expectantly. He looked up and studied her face intently for a moment. ''Josh? Don't be rude man.''

''I- yes, please.'' Josh held up his mug as well and subtly checked out her nametag. ''Thank you, Donna.''

''You're welcome-''

''Josh. It's Josh.'' He replied eagerly.

Donna gave him a polite smile and repeated his name. ''You're welcome Josh.'' She filled his cup and moved onto another table. And then he subtly checked out the rest of her body as well. Sam instantly moved closer to Josh to whisper.

''Was that your attempt at flirting?'' Sam deadpanned. ''No wonder you haven't brought a girl home in a while.'' Josh narrowed his eyes at him and decided not to grace his question with an answer. He was right after all.

Josh had trouble keeping the blonde out of his thoughts the entire day.

xxx

After a long day of a whole two hours of class, Josh found himself in the cafeteria looking for his Con Law partner-in-crime. It didn't take long for him to see his friend in the crowd. ''I knew I would find you here.''

The guy didn't even look, instead just took a sip of his coffee and continued reading the newspaper. ''How?''

''It's where the pie is.'' Josh quipped, as he sat down opposite of his friend and threw down his backpack next to him on the floor.

Toby chuckled. ''Funny. Why are you here?''

''I thought you might want to get a head start on the final assignment.''

''Didn't Mr. Feig tell us to keep waiting until after we've actually had the syllabus containing information about the assignment?'' Toby said, looking unamused. He put down his newspaper and stared at Josh. ''What's really on your mind, Josh?''

''Nothing.'' He muttered.

''All right, well, I offered – so now I don't want to hear anything about it.'' Toby picked up his newspaper once again. Josh slowly pulled it down to look Toby in the eyes.

''There's a great new coffeeshop on sixth.''

''That's what you wanted to tell me?''

''Absolutely.''

Toby laughed. ''You're the worst liar in the world Lyman. If truly want to make it in politics, you should probably do something about that.'' Josh simply shut up and showed him a smug smile.

It wasn't long before another person joined their table. Josh instantly turned around to look at her, showing his brightest smile. ''My dearest Claudia Jean, how are you doing?''

''I swear to God Lyman, if you call me Claudia Jean one more time.'' She said, threateningly pointing her finger at him.

He chuckled as he tried to pull off and innocent look. ''It is your name, right?''

''Don't tempt me.''

''Somebody is in a mood today.'' He fake whispered to Toby, annoying her even further. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second.

''Sorry, I'm just really nervous about the American History results. They should be up this afternoon.''

''How do you even know that?'' CJ had always been one of the first to provide information no one was supposed to have.

She smiled smugly. ''I never reveal a source.''

Josh opened his mouth to speak but swallowed his words. Instead he decided to go for a more friendly option. ''You'll do fine anyway, when was the last time you didn't pass?''

''Honestly, I can't remember.''

''There ya go.'' They all went quiet as they continued their work. Toby read his newspaper, CJ had pulled out some of her paperwork she still had to review and Josh… had laid his head on the table and was fast asleep.

CJ slapped Josh softly on the head. ''My dear boy, you realise you have a bed for these kinds of activities.''

''I couldn't sleep last night.''

''Couldn't or wouldn't?''

''That's an excellent question, CJ.'' Toby quipped.

''Why thank you, Toby.'' They both mockingly bowed.

''Anyway, are we still handing out pamphlets Thursday?'' Josh said, trying to stir the conversation away from where it was heading.

''You are blantly ignoring the question, Joshua.''

''The people in the apartment above me were playing music at three am. At least that's when I noticed – it might have been going on for a while.''

''So, you just knocked on her, his, their door and told them to stop, right? Like any actual functioning adult would do?'' Toby muttered.

Josh faked his shock. ''Are you telling me that you think I'm immature?''

''This is news to you?''

''Boys, stop it.'' CJ said, unable to contain her laughter. ''Just, do what he said. If it happens again, go there and ask them to stop. It really isn't that hard.''

Josh tried to rub the sleep from his eyes and sighed. ''It really is.''

xxx

Josh sighed as he put his key in the lock of his apartment. He tried to balance the post in one hand and his coffee in the other hand but failed awfully and dropped everything. Including himself as he slipped in the fallen coffee. Apparently startled by the noise, Sam opened up the door.

''What the hell are you doing?'' Sam barked.

Josh just held up his hand. ''Oh no, I'm fine, thank you for asking.''

''Do you need help?''

''No, please just let me lie here for a second. I need to take this all in.'' It was only then that Josh realized that Sam was standing in the doorway in his boxers. He instantly felt relieved that he'd fallen down instead of just opening the door. Suddenly he became aware of his surroundings. ''You're also hearing this music, right?''

''Yes, I do. You okay?''

''Help me up.''

''All right.''

''I'm going to say something about it. I need my sleep. I'm an adult and I should be capable of making these kinds of visits. I'm a bulldog. I got this.''

''Um, okay, are you sure you haven't hit your head?'' Sam said, now genuinely worried.

Josh straightened his back and fixed his shirt. ''Never been better.''

''You've ruined your shirt.''

''It's just material.'' He looked down to see the mess he'd made. Oh, boy. ''I should probably clean this up…''

''You should.''

''I just need to go speak with our lovely upstairs neighbors first.''

''Sure.''

''I mean, I'm all hyped up now and I think I should just do it.''

''Okay.''

''Do you think I should do it?'

''Josh.''

''You're, right. I should go for it. Thanks Sam.'' Josh looked over Sam's shoulder and saw a girl not far behind him, wondering what all the fuzz was about. Sam followed Josh's look and leaned closer into him.

''You can stay away for like fifteen more minutes, right?'' Josh simply turned around and walked up the stairs determined to make his case.

He knocked on the door. It was only then he realized that he was still wearing his coffee stained shirt. Well, it's too late to back out now. The door slowly opened and revealed the blonde that served him his coffee that morning. Donna, her name was Donna. Say something!

''It's you.'' He said, surprised.

''It's me?''


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, that's it. That's the note. :)

‘’It’s you.’’ He said, surprised.

‘’It’s me?’’

‘’Yeah, don’t I recognize you from the restaurant – what’s it called again…’’ He rubbed his hand through his hair in frustration. He was already screwing up his second introduction and he’d barely even said anything.

She chuckled. ‘’Bagels and muffins?’’ 

‘’Yes!’’ He said enthusiastically, surprising himself. ‘’Love that place.’’

Donna narrowed her eyes at him, a teasing smile on her face. ‘’We’ve barely been open for two weeks and I’m pretty sure that you were there for the first time this week.’’

‘’Ah.’’ She caught him red handed. He gave her a smug smile, dimples on full display. ‘’You’re observant.’’

She chuckled. ‘What did you expect? Is it because I’m a blonde?’’

He was immediately taken back by her easy banter. ‘’I- I don’t know what I expected.’’

‘’Anyway, what can I do for you- Josh, was it?’’ She gave him an all over and it was only then he realized the state his clothes were in. He mentally slapped himself. He could’ve at least cleaned himself up before going up there to yell at the neighbour. Neighbours? Did she have a boyfriend? There is no way she could afford this place on her own, right?

‘’Yes, I was wondering if you could turn the music down. Just a bit, it’s kind of loud, you know. Maybe you could turn it down just a little bit.’’ He knew he was rattling, but there was nothing in his brain that could stop him from doing so at that moment, it seemed. 

Her face fell and he could see that she was on the verge of crying. ‘’About that.’’ 

‘’Who is this?’’ came from a voice behind Donna. A tall guy with blond hair dressed in scrubs had walked up behind her. The music had stopped.

Josh quickly looked between the two of them. Donna had tensed up. Well, that explains a lot. He held up his hand for the guy to shake. ‘’I’m Josh Lyman, your downstairs neighbor. I was just asking Donna here if you could keep the noise down to a minimum.’’ He stubbornly emphasized the you, because there was no way in hell that Donna would be responsible for this. She looked tired. ‘’And you are?’’

The guy seemed taken back by his tone. ‘’Stuart Sullivan.’’

‘’Nice to meet you.’’ He’d always been known for a strong handshake, but he managed to shake it out even a little tighter today. ‘’Anyway, thank you for your time Donna. Stuart, nice to meet you.’’ He forced out the last bit. 

The door slammed shut before he had the chance to turn around. There was something sticky about the situation, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He quickly made his way downstairs and found the door still open. Josh made his way to the kitchen to grab some supplies and then went back to the front door to clean up his mess. 

After a few minutes Josh was satisfied with his work and made his way inside again. He let himself fall on the couch and closed his eyes for a second. He couldn’t get Donna out of his mind. Something was off.

He heard Sam walk up behind him. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at Sam’s blue ones.

‘’You left the door open.’’

‘’You kind of killed the mood and she left.’’ Sam said, shrugging.

Josh laughed sarcastically. ‘’Yeah, that’s all I seem to be doing these days.’’

‘’At least the music has stopped?’’

‘’At least the music has stopped.’’ Josh repeated. 

‘’You’re being weird, everything alright?’’ Josh just stared at him blankly. ‘’I mean weirder- You’re already weird, but something is off. Did something happen in the three minutes that you were socializing with other people?’’ Sam walked around the couch and flopped down next to Josh.

‘’You’re can be very annoying; did you know that?’’

‘’Absolutely.’’ Sam said, showing his million-dollar smile. 

Josh shook his head and chuckled. He could never be mad at Sam, that would be like being mad at Santa. You just can’t do it. ‘’It’ll make you a good lawyer someday.’’

‘’Aw gee thanks. Now tell me what happened.’’ Josh gave in about ten seconds after Sam had looked at him expectedly with no intention of moving and told Sam the story. 

‘’Great story Josh. Now what I’m really hearing here is that you want to get breakfast again soon so you can see Donna.’’

‘’I do not!’’ Who was he trying to fool, really? ‘’Okay, so breakfast at eight tomorrow?’’ Sam gave Josh an enthusiastic shove and stood up from his spot.

‘’Yes. Let’s get you laid, buddy!’’ Along with some finger guns to prove his point. 

Josh groaned at Sam’s words and let his head fall on the couch behind him again. ‘’She has a boyfriend, Sam!’’

xxx

The next morning rolled around quickly. For Sam. Josh had spent the entire night tossing and turning. He was even sure that he could hear the music again at some point during the night, but it could also have been a segment of his imagination. At four o’clock he just gave up all together and made his way to the living room. He sat down at the kitchen table and took out his notes from class yesterday. 

Sam came walking in just after seven and told Josh to go show while he went through his own routine. Josh had eagerly followed Sam’s command and stood by the door as he was waiting for Sam to finish his morning routine. They were out of the door in no time and made it to the restaurant in less then ten minutes. They’d barely sat down before Donna came walking up to them.

‘’Goodmorning Donna.’’ Josh said cheerily. He could almost feel Sam roll his eyes at him. Donna gave him a shy smile. 

‘’Goodmorning Josh-‘’ She looked at Sam questionably. Sam had already held out his hand to introduce himself. ‘’and Sam. Welcome to Bagels and Muffins, I see that you’ve found some clean clothes.’’ Josh would never admit it, but he’d even put on his nicest suit even though he didn’t even have any classes today.

‘’I did, yeah.’’ You like? His mind instantly said. ‘’It’s not my usual look to have coffee stains all over my clothes, you know.’’

‘’Hey, whatever floats your boat. I don’t judge.’’

He laughed. ‘’That’s good to know.’’ 

‘’I hope you guys didn’t have any trouble sleeping last night. Stuart has the tendency to study at night and leave his music on. For everyone to hear.’’ She mumbled the last part.

‘’Actually, I think I did hear-‘’ Josh foot connected with Sam’s shin. Sam let out a yelp and looked at Josh angrily. 

‘’No, we didn’t hear anything.’’ Josh quipped with a straight face. 

‘’That’s good to know.’’ Donna said, looking between the two guys quickly. ‘’Now what can I get you boys?’’

‘’I’ll have the Friday special and a large black coffee. No, you know what, please put some milk and 3 sugars in there, please. Sam here will have a chai latte and some avocado and toast. Oh, and he’ll have one of those green smoothie thingies.’’

Sam looked at him, annoyed. ‘’Hey, I can order for myself. However, that is exactly what I wanted, so yeah. What he said, please.’’ 

She quickly wrote it down and gave them both a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. ‘’It’ll be right up.’’ 

‘’Thank you, Donna.’’ He really did like the sound of her name falling from his lips. As he watched her go, he could feel Sam’s eyes on him. 

‘’You. Kicked. Me.’’

Josh gave him an apologetic look. ‘’Okay, I’m really sorry, but I really feel like we shouldn’t make her feel bad about this. She looks tired. I hope she’s okay.’’

‘’Josh, as your best friend I really want to get you laid… Trust me, I really do.’’ Josh could feel the ‘but’ coming. ‘’However, I draw the line at stimulating you to hang out with this girl as long as she has got a boyfriend. There’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed.’’

Josh ran his hand through his hair, messing it up even more than usual. ‘’There’s something wrong Sam here, I can feel it.’’

‘’Listen buddy, she’s not your friend. It’s none of your business, really.’’

‘’I know.’’ Josh sighed. ‘’She intrigues me.’’

Sam chuckled. ‘’I’ve noticed.’’

‘’We should invite her over for the debate next week.’’

‘’Really?’’ Sam had to stop himself from face palming. 

‘’Really.’’

‘’Okay, if you want to torture yourself- be my guest.’’ Sam shrugged.

‘’It’s not like it’s a date, besides tons of people will be there. You should know, it was your idea after all.’’ 

‘’Josh, I’m not physically going to stop you.’’

It was then that Donna came back with their order. ‘’From doing what? Is he being annoying?’’ She said, pointing at Josh.

‘’Donna, if only you knew half of it.’’ Sam said, instantly digging into his food. She laughed at his monotone reaction and looked at Josh expectantly.

‘’I know that you guys aren’t telling me something, but I’ll let it slide this time.’’ She said teasingly. Josh just smiled at her goofily as she put his food in front of him.

‘’Enjoy your breakfast.’’

‘’Thank you, Donna.’’

The guys ate their food in silence. Josh watched her waiter the other tables silently. It had definitely become a lot busier over the time they were there. Sam had announced he had a class and dropped some money on the table as he said his goodbyes to Josh, somehow knowing he wouldn’t get his friend to leave.

Josh took out his wallet and left her a hefty tip. Instead of leaving to go to the library, as he had planned to, Josh left his table and walked over to the corner of the restaurant where a few single seaters were located. He slung his bag on the small table next to him and stationed himself. Satisfied with his view overlooking Donna’s zone, he grabbed his book out of his bag and started reading. 

After about half an hour he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He looked up to see Donna smiling at him and holding a very big cup of what smelled like his holy liquor: coffee. 

‘’Hi. You’re still here?’’ She asked.

‘’Yeah, I wasn’t in the mood for the library today.’’ He said casually. ‘’And I kind of like it here.’’

‘’You should, it’s a good restaurant.’’ She put a cup of coffee on the table where his bag lay and shook her head at the contents that were sticking out. Instinctively, she tucked them back in. 

He smiled as he watched her silently re-arranging his bag. ‘’I’m aware. Even better waitresses.’’ 

‘’I know right, I even got you coffee. On the house.’’ She said as she sat down in the chair next to him. Josh immediately turned his body to the direction where she sat.

‘’Thanks. I appreciate it, but I should really pay for that.’’ Josh immediately reached for his wallet.

She held up her hand to stop him from talking any further. ‘’See it as a ‘I’m sorry for ruining your sleep on probably more than one occasion’.’’

‘’All right, thank you, Donna.’’ He held up his cup and slowly took a sip. ‘’You on your break?’’ 

‘’Yeah, I have about ten minutes before I need to make another round.’’

‘’And you decided to spend those ten minutes talking to me? Your downstairs neighbor?’’ 

She nervously tucked some hair behind her ear. He so badly wanted to reach out and do it himself. ‘’Well, yeah – if you don’t mind.’’

‘’No- not at all. I encourage it, really. You should know that I am a very interesting person to talk to.’’

She chuckled. ‘’You are?’’

‘’Absolutely, but first, why aren’t you eating? You said this was your break?’’

Donna immediately turned red. ‘’I forgot to get groceries yesterday.’’ Josh narrowed his eyes at her, but instead of asking about it, he walked to the counter and ordered her a chicken sandwich and one of those pink smoothies he wouldn’t be caught dead with. It only took him a minute before he got back in his seat and handed Donna the sandwich plus smoothie. She silently thanked him. 

‘’It takes two to tango. Why didn’t Stuart get them?’’ He said, not letting the subject slip. She grimaced. 

‘’He isn’t home a lot- so I do most of the things around the house. It’s tough you know, being a medical student and doing a residency.’’

He knew he had to ask. ‘’You’re a medical student?’’ 

She shook her head. ‘’I’m not’

‘’He’s a medical student?’’ She nodded, looking away from him and taking a bite of her sandwich instead. ‘’So, what’s your major then?’’

‘’I don’t go to college. Not anymore. I uh- recently dropped out.’’

‘’Donna.’’ His heart sank, clenching his hands to fists. ‘’Did he make you drop out of college?’’

‘’It was a mutual decision, really.’’ She tried to lighten the mood by showing him a smile, but he couldn’t be fooled. Well, usually he would probably be fooled, let’s be honest here. He really didn’t have a great reputation as boyfriend, or someone who could easily interpret emotions, really. However, he could read people like the best.  
Josh shuffled his chair closer and leaned forward, making sure no one could hear him. He could see a tinge of panic in her eyes and immediately staled his movement. Every single cell in his body was ready to punch this guy in the face, but he managed to control himself. She put her hand on his knee to still his foot that had been tapping wildly. He stopped abrupt and looked to the point where she had put her hand. He forced himself to keep breathing. ‘’Don’t get yourself worked up over it. It’s fine. I like my job, Josh.’’ She gave him a sad smile. 

She immediately pulled back her hand after she realized what she’d done.

‘’Donna- you shouldn’t be- I can’t let you-‘’ He stumbled over his words.

She chuckled softly. ‘’Josh, you don’t even know me.’’

‘’But I want to.’’

‘’That’s a dangerous thing to say.’’ She said softly.

”We can be friends.’’ He opted, desperate to give the conversation going. ‘’Let me help you.’’

‘’I’m not a maiden in distress, Josh. I don’t need saving. I don’t need your help.’’ 

Timed perfectly as always, her manager tapped her on the shoulder to signal her that her break was over. She once again thanked him for the sandwich and went on her way. Josh watched her silently as he evened out his breath. He couldn’t believe this moron was taking advantage of this sweet girl. Woman, Josh told himself, she was a woman. Don’t downplay her, buddy. 

It took him another hour of reading before he gave up. She was an easy distraction to him. He did leave her another tip, before making his way home. He’d just made it home when he realised he’d forgotten to ask her to come watch the debate. Though he wasn’t even sure she’d be interested in it, it would’ve been nice to see her outside of work. 

She’d been so busy that she hadn’t even noticed him leave. 

xxx

‘’And that concludes our lesson for today, thank you everyone.’’ Josh quickly grabbed his notebook and threw it in his backpack. Though he didn’t entirely agree with his teacher on his standpoint on education, Josh realized that he had better ways of spending his energy today. He was way too tired to be arguing now anyway. The music had kept him up another night. Toby, however, had other plans. 

And they said that Josh was the frustrated one. 

‘’Mister Ziegler, I understand your point, but you have to realise that this is the way it was written in the curriculum and there’s no way around it. I have to teach it, whether you agree with me or not.’’

‘’If you don’t agree with it, why would you teach it that way?!’’ Toby boomed.

Josh intervened before Toby could insult the teacher on his methods, casually slinging his arm around his shoulder. ‘’Come on Toby, we’ll change it once we make it to the white house.’’  
‘’Make it to the white house?’’ The teacher repeated questionably. Amusement shown on his face.

‘’Yes, sir.’’ Josh had a gleam in his eye as he said it. ‘’I’ll write you a card once we do.’’ And on that note, he pulled Toby out of the classroom. Once outside, Toby shrugged his shoulders, getting Josh to let him go. He sighed frustratedly. 

‘’Come on buddy, I’ll buy you some pie. We can discuss this further under lunch if you need to.’’

‘’I’m fine.’’ Josh raised his brow, definitely not believing Toby when he said he was fine. ‘’Don’t be a smart-ass.’’ 

Josh held up his hands in defense. ‘’I’m not being a smart-ass. I was right, you know, in there.’’

‘’I know you were.’’ Toby looked at Josh with a hopeful look. ‘’You really think we’ll make it to the White House someday?’’

‘’I’ll die trying.’’ Josh said, making Toby chuckle.

‘’That’s the spirit.’’ 

‘’Besides, I’m sure they’re always in need of a pie-expert.’’ Toby punched him in the shoulder and Josh just held up his hands again laughing as his friend finally showed him a smile.  
They got their coffees and their respective pieces of pie before heading outside. It wasn’t long until they saw CJ sitting under a tree with a book on her lap. Josh shook his head; she was already studying for her next test. She looked up to see her boys standing in front of her and immediately closed her book. 

‘’We still on for the debate tomorrow?’’ She asked, switching to a cross legged position as Josh and Toby sat down before her. Josh was silently happy that he hadn’t worn a suit today, because there would be no way he’d be able to sit in the grass with one of those things. And having to go get it cleaned? He had the groan at the thought of it. He snapped back as CJ looked at him expectantly.

‘’Absolutely, Sam is on snack duty… so if you guys want anything that either fried, baked or generally has any form of fat in it – You should bring it yourselves. I’m on alcohol duty so we’re good on that department.’’

They fell into easy conversation about their day and Toby was nice enough to share his pie with CJ. Josh, obviously, had shielded off his own piece when CJ reached out to grab some.

Xxx

He sighed as he let another few people inside. ‘’Just put it down in the kitchen.’’ More people were coming through the door and, even though he shouldn’t be, Josh was surprised at the amount of people Sam had invited. We’re just networking Josh, this is a golden opportunity, he’d said. 

He wanted to slap him.

It’s all fun and games until you find people making out in your bedroom. 

These people hadn’t even waited until they got wasted. They had been sober and therefore completely responsible for their own actions! The debate hadn’t even started yet.  
Josh wasn’t amused. Sam had just slapped him on the back and whispered in his ear that he needed to let loose a little. Of course, Sam had then handed him a Scotch, so he was indeed feeling a tiny bit better now.

He’d assigned himself to playing security at the front door early in the evening, trying to scan the people that came into his house. At this point however, he was getting worried it might be getting too crowded. Ah, fuck it. He just opened the door and let everyone in. He shuffled towards the hallway and downed his drink.

‘’Looks like you’re having a good time.’’ He looked down and saw Donna walking up the stairs.

‘’Oh, yeah?’’ He said, trying to give her his biggest smile, failing miserably. 

‘’You don’t fool me, Joshua.’’ He laughed at the use of his full name. She shuffled closer till she stood in front of him.

‘’Well Donnatella, I am the host of this party and I’m having a great time.’’ She looked over his shoulder and then back at him, before realizing he’d used her full name. She stared at him in shock. ‘’That’s your name, isn’t it?’’

Donna smiled shyly. ‘’It is, what kind of detective move did you use to figure that one out?’’ 

‘’I’m a genius, you know. No Sherlock Holmes tricks were necessary.’’ She shook her head at him. ‘’Can- Can I get you something to drink?’’ You look like you could use it. She waited a moment, seeming to go over her options. He looked at her with a hopeful look on his face. She nodded and his face broke into a full grin.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don't think I've ever written this much in a single week. I enjoy writing this story SO MUCH that, well, here's the next update already. Thank you for reading, favouriting and reviewing. Everything, really. I really love CJ/Danny, but I've always believed something was going on between CJ/Toby, so please don't kill me. Stay safe x

''What can I get you?'' He said enthusiastically.

''Do you have any white wine?''

''Definitely, do you want me to get it or do you want to go inside?''

She checked her surroundings for a moment, realizing they were still in the hallway. ''We should probably go inside.'' He nodded and led her inside, his hand on the small of her back. Sam immediately walked over to them. 

''I didn't know you had the balls to do it Josh'' Donna looked at Josh questionably, but he just glared at Sam instead. ''Anyway, nice to see you, Donna. There are snacks – well, everywhere – please take whatever you want. Even Josh.'' He said with a grin. Before Josh had the pleasure of responding, Sam had already seated himself in front of the couch again.

Josh instantly started thinking of ways to get his revenge.

Donna laughed at Sam's remark and his brain immediately stopped plotting. He took a red cup and poured Donna a drink. She smiled as she took her drink from him. He instantly poured himself another as well. She'd waited for them to toast.

He held up his drink but got distracted by someone yelling that the debate was about to start, missing the action of clicking their cups together.

''No, no wait, you can't look away when you toast with someone!''

''What? Why?'' He said panicky.

She lowered her voice, causing him to lean closer. ''It has been said that if you don't look each other in the eyes while you toast… you'll have bad sex for seven years!'' Josh burst out laughing, but Donna remained serious. He bit his lip and nodded agreeingly, doing everything in his power to stop laughing.

''Well, can't risk that.'' He managed to get out, eyes still sparkling.

Donna opened her mouth in fake shock. ''You don't believe me!''

''Donna.'' He laughed, hand on his heart. ''I really don't.''

''When's the last time you had sex?'' He opened his mouth, but no words came out. ''Yeah, that's what I thought. Close your mouth, you'll catch flies.'' She gently touched his chin to get him to close his mouth.

''Did you just get him to shut up?'' CJ said as she quickly looked between the two of them, a surprised look on her face. ''I'm CJ Cregg and very impressed with your ability to shut him up to be honest.''

''Yes, I did. Thank you very much, I'm Donna Moss.'' She said with a smug smile. They shook hands and CJ walked over to where Sam sat on the floor. However, not before throwing Josh a look that said: 'Oh boy, you're screwed'.

There were at least thirty people in his living-room, and it took him everything not to clear out the entire house and invite Donna to sit on his couch with him instead.

''I had no idea you guys were watching the debate together.'' She said almost apologetic, feeling out of place. ''Though I did see you read a book on con law, I believe.''

''We are, most of the people here are politic science majors and tons of law students, obviously. You've already met most of my friends actually. Sam, my roommate – CJ we study together, and you see that grumpy guy over there in the single seater?'' She nodded. ''That's Toby. He also has a major crush on CJ, but he'll probably never act on it. It's sad really.''

She chuckled. ''I feel like you might not have shared that information with me if you hadn't just taken your second drink.''

''There's a pretty good chance that you're indeed correct.'' She took a sip of her wine, hiding her smile behind her cup. He motioned to the tv. ''So, whose side are you on?''

''I haven't been paying attention to politics the last few weeks, but I used to really dig into it.''

''Why?'' He was afraid that he already knew the answer.

''Well Josh, I've been working a lot.'' He saw her trying to work around it and make it positive, but she just shook it off instead. ''Actually, I used to be a political science major.''

''You were?'' His voice a few octaves too high.

He got shushed by one of the attendees and he immediately balled his fists as he took a step forward. Donna lay her hand on his shoulder and softly pulled him back to his previous spot.

''I think that everyone here actually wants to watch this, so we should probably stop talking.'' She suggested.

He raised his brow. ''You don't want to?''

''I do, it's just that Stuart will be home in a little while and I still have to prepare dinner.''

He stood up a tiny bit straighter. ''He can take care of himself.''

''Josh.'' She held up her hand. Don't step over the line.

He wanted to say more, he really did. He'd tell her how she'd never have to do that with him if she didn't want to. Hell, he'd even cook for her every day for the rest of his life if that's what she wanted. She wouldn't have to work 60+ hour weeks. He'd make sure of that.

''I can see some wheels turning in there, you okay?''

He swallowed quickly and scraped his throat, his voice coming out softer than he'd intended. ''Yeah.''

''Listen, I really want to stay here, but I have to go.'' Donna drank the last of her wine and put the cup in the bin. ''You should probably stop drinking after this one, I have a feeling you might not be a big drinker.''

She gave him another smile and started heading towards the door. Josh followed her like a puppy. Donna was just about to head up the stairs when Josh realized he'd had to see her again soon. The words flew out before he'd even considered them.

''What time do you start tomorrow?''

''Around seven thirty.''

''And what time do you have to leave for work?''

Donna chuckled. ''Oh, I see where you're going with this.''

''You are?'' She nodded. He lowered his voice. ''Do you mind?''

''Not at all.'' She admitted softly. ''I leave around seven.''

''I'll wait around the corner to walk you to work.''

''Okay.''

''Okay.''

''I'll see you tomorrow then, Moss.''

She gave him a final shy smile. ''Already looking forward to it, Lyman.'' And with that, she walked up the stairs, out of his sight. He let a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He walked back into the party with even less motivation to be there than before.

Xxx

Even though Donna had indeed told him to stop after his second Scotch, he hadn't. He was not at all surprised when he'd woken up on the couch the next morning with a bucket next to him. That was a good thing, trust me.

After hanging off the couch and emptying his stomach in the bucket, he pulled himself back up again. Barely ten minutes had passed before CJ stumbled into the living room.

''What happened?'' She croaked.

Josh still had his eyes closed, but he recognized CJ's voice out of thousands. ''You're asking me?''

''Josh, I'm not even sure why I'm here.'' He opened one eye and looked to where the sound was coming from.

''Well, I didn't sleep with you that's for sure.''

''JOSH.'' She almost yelled.

He instantly grabbed a pillow and pushed it on his face to keep the noise down. ''Volume.'' He pleaded.

Of course, then the door to Sam's bedroom had opened and revealed a bright and shiny Sam. The bastard looked better than ever before. He immediately went into the kitchen to start his morning routine. ''Good morning everyone, I hope you slept well.''

''How are you not hangover?!'' Sam just shrugged and continued making his breakfast. ''You piss me off, Seaborn.''

''Love you too, buddy. Who do you think put the bucket there?''

''Sam, what happened?'' CJ asked as she flopped down on the single seater on the right side of Josh, who had yet to move.

''Well, at some point someone suggested taking a shot every time the word 'education' fell. You were all okay till about the seventh shot anyway.''

Josh groaned. ''Seven? What kind of poison did we pick?''

''Tequila.'' Josh swallowed quickly to keep his nausea under control. It was all coming back now. ''But Josh, didn't you have a big thing today? That's all you were talking about after the debate.''

He narrowed his eyes as he searched for the memory containing the missing information. He was going to walk Donna to work at seven! ''What time is it?''

''It's 6.55.''

''Oh my god.'' He instantly stood up and regretted his decision. ''I have an appointment with Donna at seven.'' He was about to head out the door when he heard Sam yelling at him.

''Josh, no- you have to shower and change your clothes. You look disgusting.'' Sam said with a stern voice.

He immediately ran the other way and started stripping his clothes as he went. CJ just laughed at his desperation and then abruptly stopped to grab her head. Sam chuckled and grabbed a few eggs.

Sam suddenly stopped his movement and looked around the room. ''Hm. That's weird. I was pretty sure that Toby had stayed last night as well.''

He was met with a groan. CJ and Sam looked at each other, confusion written on their faces. CJ slowly stood up, not quite trusting her legs just yet and walked around the couch only the find Toby lying on a few pillows in the corner of the room. Sam simply grabbed some more eggs out of the refrigerator.

It was then that Josh ran out of the bathroom with his hair still wet. Sam was pretty thankful that he'd managed to get some clothes on before their guests saw. Dressed in a black sweater and jeans, Josh crossed the room quickly to put on his shoes.

''Time?'' He yelled in the progress.

''It's 7 exactly. Go!'' Sam said, laughing as Josh scrambled to get his jacket before running out of the door and slamming it behind him.

''I'm up, I'm up.'' Toby said, sitting up straight and immediately regretting his decision.

A street away from 'the hangover quarters' as Josh had now nicknamed his apartment, Donna was waiting for Josh to show up. She checked her watch; it was already past seven. Disappointed, but not surprised, she held her bag a little tighter and started making her way towards her work.

She'd barely made the turn to start walking when she heard her name. After another few seconds she was met with a heavily breathing Josh, who somehow still smelled like alcohol even though it looked like he showered.

''You're late.''

''I know, I'm sorry.'' He held up his hands in surrender, before putting them on his knees, taking deep breaths. He really did need to start running again.

She chuckled ''And you look like shit.''

He gave her a lopsided smile. ''I know, once again I'm sorry.''

''So, you do have a sensitive system?''

He nodded in agreement, still trying to even out his breath. ''I do, I really do.''

''I told you to stop drinking after that second Scotch.''

''Yeah, but you didn't stop me.'' Oh my god, he sounded like a child. The fact that he realized it himself didn't make it any better.

''It was your own decision to get drunk Josh.''

''Actually, there were quite a few things that need to be taken into account. First of all, I really wasn't having a good time after you left. Secondly, apparently we shot tequila, that's not something we do often-'' He continued his rattle as the slowly started walking towards her work.

They made it just in time for Donna to walk in when her manager did. The guy gave him a quick once over before letting them into the restaurant. Josh sat down in a booth in the corner, which had been his usual seat now. It took him less than three minutes before he fell asleep with his head on the table.

He woke up when he felt a hand going through his hair. Even though he loved the feeling and was tempted to keep his eyes shut for her to continue, she stopped as he stirred.

''I didn't know what you wanted, so I got you a tiny bit of everything.'' She said as she pointed to the plate in front of him. ''But Josh, after you've eaten this, you're going home and sleep this off, do you understand me?''

''Yes, madam.'' He nodded with a tired smile on his face. ''Are those-''

''Yes, Josh those are vegetables. Eat them, they're good for you.'' He groaned, but she immediately reacted. ''You are going to need some vitamin if you want to get rid of this hangover.''

After he'd finished his food, he walked over to the counter to pay for his bill. He remembered their conversation from earlier and paid for another chicken sandwich and a smoothie as well. She'd walked up to the counter as he was about to leave. Wordlessly he handed her the bag and said his goodbyes, thanking her for the walk, the food and her time. She had blushed slightly and said she'd do it again in a heartbeat. Good, he'd said. Because I'll be doing it more often. She'd simply smiled at him as he turned to leave the restaurant.

Xxx

A few weeks had passed, and Josh and Donna had found an easy routine. Every morning he walked her to work and when his scheduled allowed it, he would eat breakfast and study there for a little while. Sometimes Sam joined them, but he knew a third wheel when he saw one.

Josh was getting closer to his next midterms and with that he was also slowly losing his sanity. Donna, sweet as she was, had offered him to help with his notes. He had reluctantly agreed, saying that she would be better off keeping her free day for herself, but she'd disagreed. They'd decided to meet up in the library in the morning.

Donna had immediately dumped the contents of his bag on the table and started reorganizing them before moving on to one of his folders which had papers sticking out of it. Weaponized with colored paper and sticky notes, she grabbed Josh's folder again and started reading.

Josh watched her in awe as she started organizing his things. He never really considered how unorganized he looked compared to others. Since Donna had successfully made it through her first two years almost flawlessly, Josh found that she knew more about politics than she was letting on. It made him want to punch Stuart in the face even harder.

Speaking of the devil. Josh looked up to find Stuart and a few other students standing beside their table.

''What are you doing here?'' Stuart spat at Donna.

Josh, usually not someone who wasn't afraid of a good confrontation, kept himself in check and lied instead. ''She's helping me organizing my study material. Against pay, obviously.''

Stuart looked at Donna, who directed her stare at the table instead. ''I didn't know you were doing that.''

''It's kind of new.'' Josh lied through his teeth.

''I can see that.'' Stuart said, his stare still directed at Donna. ''I'll see you at home for lunch.''

''Actually, this might take a bit longer than that. I'll see you for dinner.'' Donna managed to get out.

Stuart nodded sarcastically. ''I see how it is.'' He directed his gaze at Josh, who was trying really hard not to jump up and punch this guy in the face. He is still her boyfriend and she is still living with him, he told himself.

''I'll be home later Stuart, please don't make a big deal out of this.'' He quickly turned around and made his way towards the exit, slamming the door to the library behind him.

Josh almost let out a smile until he saw that Donna had gone white. He immediately recognized the panic attack and moved around the table to sit beside her. She was holding her hands and shaking slightly. He instantly grabbed her hands and started counting. Slowly, her breathing returned to normal and she got some color found its way back to her face.

''My mom used to have them frequently after my dad passed. It's okay, it's not something you choose to have.'' She finally found the courage to look up to him. He gently tucked some hair behind her ear and gave her a kiss on her temple. Donna leaned into him instantly. ''Does this happen often?'' He asked her softly.

''Josh.'' She pleaded, her hands still shaking.

''It's okay, I'm not going anywhere. You can tell me.''

Donna took a deep breath. ''It's been happening a lot more than it used to. If I get stuck it- it goes straight into hyperventilation.''

''Okay, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to grab all of our things, put them in my bag and then we're going for a walk. After that we'll get some ice cream or whatever you're craving and if you're okay after that… we'll find some other fun activities to do.''

She chuckled softly. ''Other fun activities?''

''Oh sure, that's what you picked up from that.''

''What about studying? You really need your time Josh.''

''Yes, but at this point my friend is more important.''

He started packing up their things and then walked over to Donna and tugged on her hand to get her to stand up. The day went by quick and they'd done exactly what Josh had suggested earlier that afternoon. When the evening came around, Donna had been reluctant to go home and Josh wasn't really stimulating her either. They walked home together and when they came to Josh's front door- he'd hesitated before going in.

''You should know that I really enjoyed today-'' He showed her a bright smile. ''-and I hope that we are going to do this again sometime soon.''

She sighed. She'd had the most wonderful day as well, but she knew that was toeing a very fine line at the moment. ''I did as well, thank you Josh. I just hope that I wasn't too much of a burden.''

''It's all right Donna, you're never a burden. I had a great day and well, I can always study at night. Sleep is for the weak!'' He'd exclaimed. And yes, that was exactly what he was going to be doing that night. Before saying goodbye he gave her a small paper with his home phone number on it. Just in case you ever need it, for anything.

She smiled at him and he showed her a smug grin. He repeated his move from earlier and tugged on her hand and pulled her closer. Softly, he kissed her on her temple again. He pulled his head back to look at her but found that she had closed her eyes. He leaned in to kiss her cheek softly. God knows he wanted to move over a couple of inches, but he knew he shouldn't. He really shouldn't. Not right now.

He let her go and she opened her eyes. As he stared into her blue eyes, he found himself getting overwhelmed, so he did what he did best: and pulled back. She gave him a hesitant smile before taking a step back as well.

He watched her walk up the stairs. Much to his satisfaction, she had looked back before disappearing to the fourth floor.

Josh let his head fall back against his door, taking a deep breath before turning around and opening the door. Sam sat on the couch with three books around him, a pencil between his lips. He motioned towards the coffee pot and Josh kicked off his shoes and walked over to the kitchen. He grabbed two mugs out of the cabinet and filled them up.

''Did you study at all?'' Sam asked, happily clutching his mug.

Josh sat down next to him and put his elbows on his knees, holding his face. ''I almost kissed her Sam.''

Sam immediately put his hand on Josh's shoulder making him look at him, a sympathetic look on his face. ''Josh, you can't.''


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that this is a quick update - and trust me, it will probably never happen again. I have no clue how I achieved this. Thanks for all the kudos you guys! There's going to be some cursing in this chapter.

''I'm very much aware of that, thank you.'' Josh said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Sam shook his head. ''You knew that this was going to happen, and you still let yourself go down the rabbit hole. You should've just looked for someone to hook up with at some point-''

Josh shot up from his place on his couch. ''I do not want a hook up, Sam!'' Sam knew that Josh was a passionate guy, but he'd never experienced the fire being directed to him. Josh only had two settings: I care way too much and I genuinely don't give a shit.

Sam lowered his voice. ''Are- are you in love with her?''

Josh shook his head. ''I can't be.''

''That's not what I asked.''

''I know.'' Josh moved his hands through his hair in frustration. ''It's just that, I've never felt this way about anyone. I just want to spend time with her, even if we're not together. She makes me smile. She even helps me organize because of my neurotic inability to keep anything in a proper order. She knows how I take my coffee. She takes care of me, even though she shouldn't. She's amazing even when she isn't trying.''

''You're fucked, aren't you?'' Sam said unbothered by Josh's stubbornness. ''Well, you're not actually, that's why you are so frustrated- but still, Josh, you're in love with her.''

Josh let out a laugh, the tension becoming too much. ''I- I guess that I am.''

Xxx

He had a sway in his walk as he shut the door to his classroom behind him. Another exam done, another win for the Lyman. Even though he'd been tired as hell, he'd managed to knock it out of the park. See, this is why I study at night, he told himself. And let Donna help you, he reminded himself. She should be studying for her own degree, his mind told him instantly.

He hadn't seen her for a few days, her having to work double shifts and him stressing out about his deadlines. His mind clear of any negatives thoughts he had about his school, he decided to pay her a visit at the restaurant.

As he walked around the building, he saw one of Donna's coworkers smoking a cigarette. Josh walked up to him and asked if Donna was working. The guy said that she had been making deliveries in their company car, but she hadn't returned to pick up her next order yet. The manager was mad at her and he asked if Josh knew where she was. Josh shook his head and thanked him for the information.

He turned around and started jogging towards his house. Home in no time, he opened the door and quickly walked over to his answering machine.

''Hi Josh, I'm sorry for calling you- but uh- I was in an accident and I need someone to come pick me up from the emergency room. Stuart-'' She was in an accident?! He shook his head, trying to filter out the screaming in his head. He waited for her to name the hospital and then grabbed his jacket, the key to Sam's old beat up car and made his way out. Deep breaths, don't kill yourself on your way over there.

It took him to get to the hospital longer than he'd wanted. Josh had been so close to running through red lights, but he knew that it would put others in dangers. It wasn't until the last light, and with that no one in sight, that said screw it and ran through it at full speed.

He pulled up at the hospital, thankfully found a parking spot close to the entrance and jogged towards the entrance. Disoriented, he walked up to the information desk. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the woman to look up at him.

''I'm looking for Donna Moss.''

''Are you direct family?'' She asked, looking at her computer to type in Donna's name.

''No, but she called me to ask me to come pick her up.''

''I'll have to validate that, sir.'' Josh clenched his jaw; it really wouldn't help him if he started screaming at the receptionist.

''I'm Josh Lyman.''

''Okay mister Lyman, please take a seat and I'll be with you in a moment, alright?'' He nodded and said his thanks.

He knew that he should sit down, but instead he found himself pacing the floors of the hospital waiting room. Josh saw a small stand down the hall that sold flowers and balloons and without thinking, bought a small bouquet with a wide variety of colours. Happy with his purchase, he sat down in the waiting area as the woman had instructed him to.

It was then that he saw an angry looking Stuart walk past him. That was until the guy did a double take and stopped in his tracks.

''What are you doing here?'' Stuart spit.

Josh stood up quickly, now at eye level with Stuart. ''She called me.''

Stuart laughed sarcastically, getting in Josh's face. ''Of course, she did.''

''Is she okay?'' Josh gritted through his teeth

''She's all yours man. Good luck with that fucked up-'' Josh raised his hand when he suddenly felt an arm holding him back. A security guy was holding him back. Josh's blood was boiling though he realized that his act could've messed things up really bad.

The guy told Josh to sit down, and he quickly obliged. Then the guard grabbed Stuart by his arm and forced him towards the door. Josh quickly got his breath under control again. After a while the security guard came back and asked him if he was okay. He said he was, but his body was telling him other things the adrenaline still in his veins. The security guard explained that Stuart had been yelling at a patient and it turned out he'd had a drink, so he'd let the police deal with him. Josh thanked the guy and grabbed his flowers from where he'd dropped them on the floor.

''Josh Lyman?'' She looked around the room. Josh jumped up. The woman smiled at him. ''She's asking for you. It's room 413, third door on the right.''

He thanked her hastily and then quickly made his way to her room.

''Hi.'' She said softly, waiting as he stood in the doorframe. It was obvious that she'd been crying. Her leg was in a cast and his heart broke for her. ''You can come into the room, you know? I won't break.''

''Yeah, I know.'' He said quickly, walking over to her right side and letting himself fall into the chair there. He scooted his chair closer and stared at her for a second. ''Are- are you alright?''

''Besides the broken ankle, I'm actually doing pretty good.'' She smiled softly. ''I just removed 200 pounds of dead weight from my life.''

''Okay.'' He said, unsure what to say to her, there were so many questions on his mind.

''Josh?''

''Hm?''

''Did you bring me flowers?''

He looked at his hand and realized that he was indeed, still holding the flowers. ''I did.''

She chuckled softly. ''Are you going to give them to me or?''

''I'm going to hand them over now, yes.'' And he did as he said. She smelled them and thanked him, a smile on her face. ''I'm not quite sure where to start.'' He admitted.

She took a deep breath. ''I was in a car crash this morning.'' He immediately reached out and grabbed her hand. She was choking back tears.

''I'm so sorry Donna. I won't think less of you if you cry in front of me.'' She nodded and let some tears fall, he intertwined their fingers together.

''It's okay-''

''it really isn't-''

She laughed. ''Let me finish.''

He showed her a sheepish smile. ''Sorry.''

''As I was saying, I had a rough morning.''

''That's an understatement.'' He quipped.

''Josh.''

''It seems that I can't help myself.''

''I'm starting to think that's really the case with you.'' He mouthed sorry to her and waited for her to continue. She stayed quiet for a moment, waiting for him to interrupt him again, but he managed to keep his mouth shut for a moment. ''Anyway, I've only just informed my work. They weren't too happy that: one I'd wrecked their car and two I wouldn't be into work for a while. Besides that, I don't have insurance, but I'll worry about that later… and then I'd called Stuart and it took him way too long to get here. It was his day off and he should've been here within, I don't know, fifteen minutes, tops?''

Josh tried to keep his breathing steady as she told her story.

''He didn't show up within fifteen minutes, in fact, he turned up three hours later. He'd stopped to get a beer with some friends on his way over here.''

''He did what?!'' Josh jumped out of his chair. She simply grabbed his hand tighter and put her other hand on top of his as well. She motioned for him to sit down. ''He stopped for a beer?'' he said softly in disbelieve. ''Donna, I didn't stop for red lights. Well, a red light, it would've been too risky for me to go all in on that one. You get my point.'' He rattled.

She showed him a loving smile. ''It was then that I realized that this couldn't go on any longer. I am paying for his education, while I'm the one doing all the work? Don't I deserve to get a college degree?''

Josh simply nodded, enchanted by her courage.

''When he finally did show up, I dumped his ass and told him to move out.'' Josh gasped; he could kiss her right now.

Instead gave her a soft kiss on her bruised knuckle. ''I'm so proud of you.''

''The house is under my name, most of the furniture is mine as well. I told him to get his stuff out of the apartment before tomorrow evening. I don't care how he does it, but after that it will be out on the street.''

''I'll gladly help with that.''

''I know you will.'' She moved her free hand to brush through his hair.

She yawned. ''I got some pretty good painkillers though. Might have to sleep that off for a bit.''

He stood up and gave her a kiss on her forehead. ''Take a nap, I'll be here when you wake up and then once you're discharged, we can go home.'' Josh reached out and pushed some hair out of her face. She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes. He slowly stroked her cheek and within minutes, she was passed out.

Suddenly Sam showed up in the doorway. Josh motioned for him to wait as he slowly untangled his hand from Donna's and walked over to him. They moved outside of the room, Josh still able to look at Donna from the door opening.

''I came as soon as I heard the voicemail. I'm just really glad that I didn't sell my car last month.'' Josh nodded, thankful for that as well. ''Well, you took it, but you get my point.'' Sam said, evening out his breath. It seemed like he'd been running around the building as well.

''How did you get here?'' Josh asked, happy that Sam had made it. ''Wait a minute, how did you get in?''

''Toby drove me, he and CJ are waiting in the cafeteria. They didn't want to overwhelm her. And to answer your second question, I told them I was her brother.'' Josh mentally thanked his friends for their considerate thinking. ''How's she doing?''

''It seems like she broke her ankle and has some bruises, but I'm not sure those are all her injuries. She fell asleep before she could tell me the whole story.''

Sam nodded, trying to look at the situation from a lawyer-y perspective. ''Has she spoken to the police yet?''

''I don't know.'' Josh ran his hands through his hair. ''I don't even know what happened.''

Sam put his hand on Josh's shoulder. ''She'll tell you once she wakes up.''

''She's going to have a hard time moving around with her ankle, I should probably order some stuff for her bathroom. She won't be able to stand for very long.'' Josh said, thinking out loud.

Sam held up his hand. ''Let me take care of that. You stay here and take care of her while we set up shop at home.''

''Sam, she kicked Dr. Freeride out of her apartment.''

''I'm so happy for you buddy.'' Sam leaned in and gave Josh a firm man hug. ''Though this couldn't have happened at a weirder time.''

''You can say that again.'' Josh sighed. ''We're not dating yet though. Not that it matters''

''Oh, Josh.'' How naïve could his friend be. ''I'll get you some caffeine and then I'm out of here, I'll swing by the store and get some things that might help her around the house.''

Josh pulled him into another hug. ''You're the best.''

''Don't you know it.''

Xxx

After Sam had delivered the coffee to Josh, who had yet to move from his place next to Donna's bed, he informed CJ & Toby about the situation. Toby happily agreed to help Sam out with the purchases that would make Donna's life a bit easier. While Toby and Sam made their way into the hardware store, CJ was determined to get some groceries for the group. They'd had a long day and what better way to celebrate life than to have dinner with the entire group.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Donna had woken up again. Josh called the nurse over and she'd called for the doctor. The doctor simply told her that she was allowed to leave as soon as she was ready, but she had to be very careful with her ankle. He also told her that it probably was for the best if someone stayed with her at the beginning of her healing process, while looking at Josh. The doctor told Josh that he could get her some crutches at the reception. After that a nurse had dropped off a wheelchair for her to sit in.

Josh helped Donna to sit in the chair and they went on their way to the exit. After a short stop at the front desk for the crutches, he rolled her outside to the car. Donna waited patiently as Josh struggled to get the front seat to go back a few inches. She laughed at his desperate attempt.

He immediately got his head out of the vehicle and opened his mouth to speak, but then closing it again. ''Did you just laugh at me?'' He managed to get out.

''I did.'' A smile on her face. How was she still smiling after all this? He put his hands on the leaning of her wheelchair and bend his knees so that he was on eye-level with her.

''So you don't want me to take you home and let you just stay here, huh?'' He said, a teasing smile on his face.

''No, I want you to take me home.'' He let out a breathy laugh and kissed her cheek.

''Let's see what we can do about that then.''


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments and kudos, it really makes my day. :)

''No, I want you to take me home.'' He let out a breathy laugh and kissed her cheek.

''Let's see what we can do about that then.''

The car ride back had been silent, both had a lot on their mind and silence had never been awkward between them. Josh had been looking back between Donna and the road, but at some point, she’d grabbed his right hand and then he had to look between: the road, Donna and their hands together. He really shouldn’t be multitasking anyway; he knew how that one always ended with him on the wrong side of the thing. Whatever that the thing in that particular moment was. 

He illegally parked the car in front of their building, trying to get Donna as close to the door as humanly possible. He pressed the intercom a few times, signaling Sam that he was on his way up. Donna had scooted forward in her seat and pulled out the crutches from behind her chair. 

‘’Fuck.’’ Josh stood frozen for a minute. ‘’I just realized that the elevator hasn’t been fixed yet.’’ The old thing hadn’t been working for most of the year, and maintenance had actually fixed it once or twice… but so far, it’s track recorded wasn’t the greatest. Just like Josh’s dating life. 

Sometimes his mind really tired him out. 

She looked on the verge of crying. ‘’I was going to be positive and tell you that wouldn’t be a problem, but I can’t even hop on the first step here.’’

‘’Can you hold the crutches in one hand?’’ She nodded. He put on the emergency lights in the car and closed the door. ‘’All right hop on my back then, I’ll carry you.’’

‘’You’re joking.’’

She looked at his face to look for any signs of him joking, but he looked dead serious. ‘’I’m not.’’

‘’Josh.’’ 

‘’Donna.’’ He said, his voice a few octaves higher then he’d intended. ‘’Your lack of faith in my athletic abilities is concerning.’’

‘’Says the guy who slipped in a puddle of his own coffee.’’ She had him there. ‘’Josh, we have to get to the fourth floor.’’

‘’Third.’’

‘’Third?’’ 

‘’Yeah, I didn’t think you’d want to deal with Stuart today or tomorrow, so you’re staying at my place.’’ He said it so casually that he could almost pass it off as something he’d just decided. The truth was that he’d been dreading this conversation the moment he saw her in her hospital bed.

She shook her head in disbelief. ‘’I don’t know what to say.’’

‘’Just say yes.’’ He replied happily. ‘’Let me take care of you for a change.’’

She quickly wiped the tears that had silently made its way down her face. She’d let herself fall back into the car seat as she hadn’t been able to make the first step. He crouched down and put his hands on her knees, mimicking their positions from earlier. He shifted one of his hands to her cheek and removed the last of her tears.

‘’Oh Donna, please, I wasn’t trying to make you cry.’’ He pleaded. Josh was surprised with himself; he wasn’t the type of guy to offer consolation. He couldn’t even remember the last time someone had cried in his company and he hadn’t wanted to run away. In fact, until a few weeks ago he wasn’t even sure he was capable of feeling of empathy at all.

She chuckled. ‘’Try harder.’’

‘’I will- I mean- I can, I am going to.’’ She laughed even harder at his attempt to get her to stop crying. Suddenly, she stopped laughing. He saw her look at his lips before looking back into his eyes again. ‘’I really want to kiss you right now.’’ He admitted softly. She blushed at his words.

‘’What’s keeping you back?’’

‘’A lot of things.’’ He looked away for a second. ‘’You only just broke up with Stuart and well, we haven’t been on a date yet and lastly, you’re on pretty good painkillers. I’d like you to remember it afterwards.’’ He gave her a goofy smile. 

She tugged him forward by his tie, almost toppling him over, and kissed him chastely. 

‘’I’ll remember it just fine.’’ She then let go of his tie and ruffled his hair. ‘’Your hair is softer than I’d imagined.’’

Xxx

CJ squealed. ‘’Did you see that?’’

‘’CJ, I was standing right next to you.’’ Toby said, unimpressed by the scene that had just taken place in front of the apartment building. Sam walked out of the bathroom, unaware of ‘the big news’.

‘’Why are you so happy- Did Toby finally ask-‘’ Sam interrupted his own sentence as he looked at Toby’s face. He knew he’d had to stop talking if he wanted to keep his testicles attached to his body. 

‘’Toby?’’ CJ turned to him, while he silently cursed Sam.

‘’Sam- Sam was just joking around.’’ Toby tried.

‘’Chicken.’’ Sam coughed to cover up his words as he was met with another deadly stare. ‘’I’m going to check and see how far along they are.’’

Sam found the pair on the second floor. Donna laughing uncontrollably while Josh was heavily panting and leaning against the wall. She was holding on to the railing while keeping her leg up. 

‘’See, this is exactly why you should be eating more healthily.’’ Sam quipped. ‘’Or exercise more, you haven’t been running since your incident with the chair.’’ Josh’s eyebrows shot up. ‘’Don’t you think I know that?’’

‘’Shut. Up.’’ Josh said between breaths. He threw the keys to the car to Sam, who caught them with ease. ‘’I parked it illegally. If you want to keep it, you might want to relocate the vehicle.’’

‘’I’ll let it go this time, simply because you’re having a hard day.’’ Sam then made his way downstairs, just in time to prevent a female cop from giving him a ticket. 

‘’What was he talking about when he mentioned ‘the chair’?’’

Josh grimaced. ‘’It’s a long story.’’

‘’Well, I’ve got time.’’

‘’That you do.’’ Josh agreed. He took a few more deep breaths and then motioned for Donna to hop on his back again. He’d only found the strength by thinking about her arms wrapped around his neck. The real thing was just as good.

xxx

Josh helped Donna to sit on the couch and propped up her leg on the small side table dressed with a fluffy pillow that had mysteriously appeared beside him as he helped her sit down. Josh then quickly kissed her cheek and disappeared to what she assumed what his bedroom. Toby walked up to Donna and stuck out his hand.

‘’Donna, hi, I’m Toby Ziegler. Let me guess, you work somewhere on the sixth?’’ Toby said, a small smile forming on his face. 

She tilted her head sideways. ‘’Yes?’’

‘’Thank you for that confirmation. That makes a lot of sense.’’ He said, smugly.

‘’I- You’re welcome?’’ Donna answered, unsure what he’d gained from this question.

‘’Don’t mind him. That’s the way he is.’’ CJ said, instantly waving Toby off. ‘’What would you like to drink?’’

‘’Some water would be fine, thank you.’’

‘’You’re allowed to have something stronger if you’d wished to, you know?’’ CJ said, putting her hand on Donna’s arm. ‘’It’s been a hell of a day.’’

‘’I’m on some pretty good painkillers, which I believe don’t mix very well with alcohol.’’ Donna said, but then realized CJ’s actual intention. ‘’You were just asking me permission to have a drink yourself, weren’t you?’’

CJ laughed. ‘’Absolutely.’’

‘’You guys can take a drink, I don’t mind.’’

‘’Great! I have some red wine that goes really well with the pasta I made.’’ CJ said enthusiastically. ‘’In fact, I’ll turn on the stove again, I think that the boys will be back again soon.’’ 

‘’That sounds good.’’

Josh reemerged from his bedroom sporting some clean clothes with Sam close behind him. 

‘’All right, we’re all set. What do you need from your apartment in order for you not to worry about spending the night?’’ Donna listed a couple of things and made sure that Josh wrote them down, certain that if he didn’t write it down he would spend the entire evening walking up and down. ‘’Okay, now give me your keys.’’ She pointed to her small handbag that she had with her earlier. Josh was tempted to open the bag and look for her keys, but he knew that’s not how handbags worked with women. He had learned that one the hard way. Instead he just walked over to Donna again and handed her the purse.

‘’You can look into it, you know?’’

He shook his head. ‘’I’d rather not.’’ 

Donna laughed and looked between Josh and CJ in shock. ‘’What do you expect me to have in there?’’

‘’Donna, I believe this has something to do with his ex-‘’ Sam started. Toby laughed and immediately tried to cover it up with a cough, mimicking Sam’s move from earlier. ‘’He almost lost his- favourite body part when he checked her bag without asking.’’ Toby added. Donna shook her head. 

‘’Well, yeah, there’s a difference between me telling you to grab something out of my bag and you just grabbing my bag and checking it.’’ 

‘’So many unspoken rules…’’ Josh said under his breath, making Sam chuckle again. 

Donna shook her head, laughing softly. ‘’Just get the stuff. I’m getting kind of hungry over here.’’

‘’Yes madam.’’ He then walked out of the door with Sam and Toby close behind him. CJ made sure that Donna was comfortable before making her way over to the kitchen again, finishing the pasta. By the time the door opened again, Donna realized she had fallen asleep. 

The boys walked in with a grumpy look on their face, but their spirits lifted as soon as they saw the food in the kitchen. CJ ordered them around and within no time, the guys came walking in with a plate of food and a drink in their other hand. Josh on the other hand was carrying two plates. He slowly sat down next to Donna, making sure that he wasn’t hurting her. He then handed her the second plate of food. She gave him a sly smile and started eating. He didn’t start till he made sure that she was eating.

Once they’d had finished dinner, Donna started yawning. Josh helped her up wordlessly as he led her to his bedroom. The others started cleaning up as they let the couple be. Donna took in Josh’s bedroom and she realized it was just like any other boy’s bedroom. She did notice some picture frames on a small desk in the corner of the room and was tempted to walk over, until she was reminded of the throbbing pain in her right leg.

‘’This looks cleaner than I expected.’’ Josh was already walking to the bed and pulling the covers down.

‘’It’s funny you say that.’’

‘’It wasn’t this clean this morning, huh?’’

‘’Let’s just say that I’m not even sure it’s the same room.’’ ‘’CJ cleaned it up while we were still in the hospital. I owe her big time.’’ 

Donna felt the tears swell up in her eyes again. ‘’Your friends are really nice for doing this.’’ She put the crutches next to the left side of the bed and sat down. ‘’I don’t think I’ve ever had friends like this.’’

‘’Yeah, they’re the best.’’ He said agreeing with a small smile on his face, sitting down next to her and softly rubbing on her back. Unsure what to say next, he just let her cry for a minute. When she stopped, he pulled her in for a hug.

‘’So, we’ve put a chair in the shower. We’ve also got you a bag for your leg that seals tightly, allowing you to actually get a shower every once in a while. Sam also installed a handlebar next to the toilet, so you can pull yourself up and won’t need any assistance in that department.’’ He said softly. ‘’And don’t worry, we’ve just installed all the necessary equipment in your own house as well.’’ That was enough to get Donna crying again. ‘’Just let it out, it’s been a tough day.’’

Xxx

‘’She’s finally asleep.’’ Josh said, walking back in to the living room twenty minutes later. They were all still on their original spot. ‘’I can’t thank you guys enough for everything.’’ Josh put his hands on his heart, making a heart shaped figure.

‘’Any time.’’ Toby said, not overcome with emotion like Sam and CJ. 

‘’I think we’ll be heading home now, it’s been a long day.’’ CJ said, she walked over to Josh and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

‘’Yeah, I’ll see you guys tomorrow.’’ Josh was very grateful that he wouldn’t have any classes in the following week. They’d all agreed to come back the following day in order to make sure Dr. Freeride had actually left the building.   
Toby went in for a hug as well, which made Josh realize that he probably looked like shit. Still, he returned the hug. ‘’Thanks.’’ They all said their goodbyes and Sam excused himself to the bathroom. 

Josh walked over to the linen closet and pulled out a blanket and an extra pillow. Armed with these supplies he made his way over to couch and flopped down on it. He fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.


End file.
